CaptCBoard
Well-Known Member
Re: Warehouse 13 Prop Research - The Farnsworth
From my experience, PE suppliers don't deal in metal thicker than .020. For the purposes of this project that would work very well. Keep in mind that the sheet brass used in PE is usually of a high temper, so even .015 will be plenty stiff enough for the panel. The depth of the etch is only a few thousandths, so the thickness of the material can be very thin. In PE, the thicker the material, the more difficult etching all the way through becomes. The acid not only eats through from both sides, but when the material is thick, the acid eats into the sidewall being created. This makes for a ragged edge. If thicker material is actually desired, then any openings that need to be in the panel can be located by surface etching and the openings made by other means, such as a drill press or a machinist. Or a backer can be created and the PE part can be aligned and bonded to it.
Scott
From my experience, PE suppliers don't deal in metal thicker than .020. For the purposes of this project that would work very well. Keep in mind that the sheet brass used in PE is usually of a high temper, so even .015 will be plenty stiff enough for the panel. The depth of the etch is only a few thousandths, so the thickness of the material can be very thin. In PE, the thicker the material, the more difficult etching all the way through becomes. The acid not only eats through from both sides, but when the material is thick, the acid eats into the sidewall being created. This makes for a ragged edge. If thicker material is actually desired, then any openings that need to be in the panel can be located by surface etching and the openings made by other means, such as a drill press or a machinist. Or a backer can be created and the PE part can be aligned and bonded to it.
Scott